Originally about tariffs and watches ... now just political rambling

CBM1590 · 2025-05-04T14:14:42-0500

M'Bob
Two reasons: you’re an idiot; or you’re desperate. Both are very disturbing explanations.

I’m neither and I voted for him because I did not like the direction our country was taking. Is Trump perfect? Not by a long shot. Do I think he was the better alternative? Yep, and so did the majority of Americans. Are the majority of Americans desperate idiots in your mind?

pdxleaf · 2025-05-04T14:21:43-0500

CBM1590
I’m neither and I voted for him because I did not like the direction our country was taking. Is Trump perfect? Not by a long shot. Do I think he was the better alternative? Yep, and so did the majority of Americans. Are the majority of Americans desperate idiots in your mind?

Can you elaborate on what you did not like about the direction the country was taking?

SpdMastr · 2025-05-04T14:36:32-0500

CBM1590
I’m neither and I voted for him because I did not like the direction our country was taking. Is Trump perfect? Not by a long shot. Do I think he was the better alternative? Yep, and so did the majority of Americans. Are the majority of Americans desperate idiots in your mind?

So this was the better alternative?

To answer your question - apparently, yes

CBM1590 · 2025-05-04T14:41:54-0500

SpdMastr
So this was the better alternative?

To answer your question - apparently, yes

Didn’t say I agreed with that either, but apparently in the myopic view shared, the majority of America must have. I’m guessing you feel better with the petty name calling.

ErichPryde · 2025-05-04T14:48:33-0500

SpdMastr
So this was the better alternative?

To answer your question - apparently, yes

Just my take: I also have a pretty strong opinion about this subject as a scientist, but I don't think that telling someone who may be attempting to have a good faith conversation what their vote amounted to is a good way to get a non-defensive response.

ErichPryde · 2025-05-04T14:52:08-0500

CBM1590
Didn’t say I agreed with that either, but apparently in the myopic view shared, the majority of America must have. I’m guessing you feel better with the petty name calling.

Rick- ignoring the post that you responded to for a second, as one individual with a background in biology to another, and from what I know about you, I both have a lot of difficulty understanding your vote while perhaps understanding it. Would you be interested in clarifying?

CBM1590 · 2025-05-04T14:58:46-0500

ErichPryde
Rick- ignoring the post that you responded to for a second, as one individual with a background in biology to another, and from what I know about you, I both have a lot of difficulty understanding your vote while perhaps understanding it. Would you be interested in clarifying?

Yes, but my hands are full of caring for my elderly mom at the moment. I’ll chime in when I can. Appreciate your approach. That’s what this space is for.

M'Bob · 2025-05-04T15:01:35-0500

CBM1590
I’m neither and I voted for him because I did not like the direction our country was taking. Is Trump perfect? Not by a long shot. Do I think he was the better alternative? Yep, and so did the majority of Americans. Are the majority of Americans desperate idiots in your mind?

Well, both choices were far from optimal, to be fair.

Dan S · 2025-05-04T15:06:20-0500

M'Bob
How do you choose someone to do an incredibly important job who’s patently unqualified to do it?

On the bright side, this opens the job of president to a huge number of potential candidates that were not previously plausible. For example, Stephen A. Smith is interested in running. 🙄

Scarecrow Boat · 2025-05-04T15:10:14-0500

SpdMastr
So this was the better alternative?

What are you on about? The success, greatness, and winningness of the new Pope, apologies, I mean President, is well documented in the 1,000+ posts held within the 61 pages of this thread. America is great, once again, and the entire world sees it. 🙄

Tony C. · 2025-05-04T15:12:31-0500

kfranzk
Maybe he refers to Romania, where a far right candidate won at first by massive Russian tictoc intervention

pdxleaf · 2025-05-04T15:33:27-0500

CBM1590
Didn’t say I agreed with that either, but apparently in the myopic view shared, the majority of America must have. I’m guessing you feel better with the petty name calling.

It's actually as generic as saying you don't like the direction the country is going in. That could mean anything, although it often includes sex, gender and race tucked in there.

CBM1590 · 2025-05-04T16:05:30-0500

ErichPryde
Rick- ignoring the post that you responded to for a second, as one individual with a background in biology to another, and from what I know about you, I both have a lot of difficulty understanding your vote while perhaps understanding it. Would you be interested in clarifying?

I’ll clarify my background first: Ph.D in Biology, prof for 28 years, sworn LEO, certified Crime Scene Investigator, forensic Anthropologist, and 20 years in elected positions ranging from local to state positions. I’m a lot of things... neophyte is not among them.

Now to clarify my vote (and state that the verdict on the change in leadership is still way out):
1. The Economy. It sucked (as it affected me and mine anyway)
2. Immigration. Out of control. No other country rolled out the red carpet like we did.
3. Social issues. I had all the woke BS I could stomach. Not my cup of tea.
4. Governmental overreach (with the district caveat that we are in the middle of it still…but the vote was in November and we are now in May)

I wanted change. Remains to be seen if I’ll get it. To be sure, going with version B of the same song didn’t interest me.

Thanks for the ask and the approach. Fully recognize that others see it quite differently. And that’s ok.

gatorcpa · 2025-05-04T16:23:55-0500

CBM1590
I wanted change.

Change is good. Chaos is not.

I fail to understand what you saw in the first term that led you to believe Trump’s second administration would be any less chaotic this time.
gatorcpa

M'Bob · 2025-05-04T16:24:18-0500

CBM1590
I’m neither and I voted for him because I did not like the direction our country was taking. Is Trump perfect? Not by a long shot. Do I think he was the better alternative? Yep, and so did the majority of Americans. Are the majority of Americans desperate idiots in your mind?

CBM1590
I’ll clarify my background first: Ph.D in Biology, prof for 28 years, sworn LEO, certified Crime Scene Investigator, forensic Anthropologist, and 20 years in elected positions ranging from local to state positions. I’m a lot of things... neophyte is not among them.

Now to clarify my vote (and state that the verdict on the change in leadership is still way out):
1. The Economy. It sucked (as it affected me and mine anyway)
2. Immigration. Out of control. No other country rolled out the red carpet like we did.
3. Social issues. I had all the woke BS I could stomach. Not my cup of tea.
4. Governmental overreach (with the district caveat that we are in the middle of it still…but the vote was in November and we are now in May)

I wanted change. Remains to be seen if I’ll get it. To be sure, going with version B of the same song didn’t interest me.

Thanks for the ask and the approach. Fully recognize that others see it quite differently. And that’s ok.

Obviously, far from an idiot, and neither desperate. Forgive my hyperbolic over-reach. Let me re-phrase:

1) Idiots

2) Desperate

3) Voted for economic reasons mostly

4) Had to choose between a rock and a hard place.

CBM1590 · 2025-05-04T16:30:31-0500

gatorcpa
Change is good. Chaos is not.

I fail to understand what you saw in the first term that led you to believe Trump’s second administration would be any less chaotic this time.
gatorcpa

True, but what other choice did I have? He sewed up the nomination so quickly it wasn’t funny. There was a deep bench of folks competing, including Niki Haley, whom I once introduced at a political event.

ErichPryde · 2025-05-04T16:45:11-0500

CBM1590
1. The Economy. It sucked (as it affected me and mine anyway)

Do you believe that the tariffs will make the economy better? What do you think is required to "fix" the economy?
Do you believe that a tax cut for the ultra wealthy will at all be helpful to the US or the middle class? How will it benefit you?
If there was something else about the economy that was a point you wanted, please share it.

CBM1590
2. Immigration. Out of control. No other country rolled out the red carpet like we did.

We are currently violating due process, which the constitution does extend to even non-citizens. Do those means justify the ends you wanted to see? That's not a fair question and I admit it, but it is the current situation.

CBM1590
3. Social issues. I had all the woke BS I could stomach. Not my cup of tea.

I assume (and I mean, I am assuming so correct me if I am wrong) you mean (at least to some degree) woke BS that doesn't fit with standard conservative christian values. Please correct me if I misunderstand that. Can I ask- how does this freedom of expression from others hurt you? I've got mixed feelings on some of the "woke BS" myself, but I'm absolutely in favor of individual rights (or minority rights), even if I personally don't agree with what other people do, which most of the "woke BS" falls under.

As a side not to "woke BS" I assume that you also probably rank "defunding the police" here, which I agree- was both idiotic and colossally a failure. Positive reform, yes. defund, no.

I notice that nothing science/research/health/vaccine related was mentioned, so I assume that these things weren't important to you. Because you do have a background in biology, why?

I appreciate the discourse. I'm curious how this conversation will play out.

This type of discourse, where we discuss points specifically, and then perhaps ask others to honestly rank them in order of how important they are - just curious when the last time anyone present here had that type of conversation.

Last thing (because perhaps it adds value) I'm more or less politically center. I've supported both democratic and republican candidates over the last two and a half decades for various reasons. I shared this earlier but decided to clean up the post, but perhaps that's worth sharing.

EDIT- last last thing- @M'Bob it might be worth adding "voted on party lines" to your list. I think a lot (possibly the majority of American posters in this thread) of people vote along party lines regardless of the issues present. if that's true it's worth considering how we got here.

gatorcpa · 2025-05-04T17:09:37-0500

CBM1590
True, but what other choice did I have?

Vote for the lesser of two evils. Which is basically what I have done for the last 12 years.

As a law enforcement officer, I would think you understand the concept of due process and a president’s oath to uphold the Constitution. Neither of which Trump seems inclined to follow.

The big mistake the Democrats made was allow Biden to minimize Harris and really all other candidates for four years, when everyone in the inner circle knew there was no way Biden would be able to conduct an effective campaign at 82 years old.
gatorcpa

watchyouwant · 2025-05-04T17:19:58-0500

CBM1590
I’m neither and I voted for him because I did not like the direction our country was taking. Is Trump perfect? Not by a long shot. Do I think he was the better alternative? Yep, and so did the majority of Americans. Are the majority of Americans desperate idiots in your mind?

Sure you do. That's why the USA is finished in the World's Leader Role. You get what you wanted .

ErichPryde · 2025-05-04T17:20:54-0500

gatorcpa
As a law enforcement officer, I would think you understand the concept of due process and a president’s oath to uphold the Constitution. Neither of which Trump seems inclined to follow.

I definitely want to hear Rick's answer but I just want to add, I think it's possible some of the people posting in this thread don't understand just how incredibly damaging the "defund the police" movement was among certain voters. I realize that the reality is largely that it was a fringe portion of the left, and not a Democratic Party ideal, but it was allowed to have way too much voice. There should have been a concerted response from the Democratic Party that encouraged Law and Order and reform. It's my sincere hope that all of us encourage our Representatives along this line of reasoning for the future.

gatorcpa
The big mistake the Democrats made was allow Biden to minimize Harris and really all other candidates for four years, when everyone in the inner circle knew there was no way Biden would be able to conduct an effective campaign at 82 years old.
gatorcpa

probably the ultimate blow that killed the camel (I suppose the donkey). Made zero sense politically